Bellin Health clinic earns medical home accreditation

03/10/2010

GREEN BAY — Bellin Health Family Medical Center-Howard recently earned accreditation as a Patient-Centered Medical Home from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

The NCQA is a private, not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA’s Patient-Centered Medical Home program focuses on the use of patient-centered, coordinated care management processes.

“This recognition means a lot to us,” said Amy Dettman, director of Bellin Medical Group. “We’re the first facility north of Sheboygan to earn this accreditation. As the nation begins to recognize the value of primary care, this accreditation further distinguishes our health system and the valuable services we offer for consumers.”

A Patient-Centered Medical Home is a health care setting that encourages partnerships between patients, primary care physicians, and when appropriate, the patient’s family. Care is facilitated by registries, information technology, health information exchange and other means to ensure that patients get the indicated care when and where they need and want it in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner.

“The rigorous requirements of establishing and maintaining primary care clinics as medical homes are goals we traditionally strive to achieve at Bellin,” said Dettman. “Better relationships between patients and their primary care physicians and a sustained continuity of care generally ensure a higher health care quality and lower costs.”

Bellin plans to submit paperwork for another 16 clinics within its health system that qualify for accreditation as Patient-Centered Medical Homes, Dettman said.